i love philosophy but the theory of solipsism is the one that keeps me up at night. as i have bad anxiety issues and consider solipsism to be a possibility. unless i see some theories against it. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
2007-02-05 19:17:08 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Solipsism is sometimes expressed as the view that "I am the only mind which exists," or "My mental states are the only mental states." However, the sole survivor of a nuclear holocaust might truly come to believe in either of these propositions without thereby being a solipsist. Solipsism is therefore more properly regarded as the doctrine that, in principle, "existence" means for me my existence and that of my mental states. Existence is everything that I experience -- physical objects, other people, events and processes -- anything that would commonly be regarded as a constituent of the space and time in which I coexist with others and is necessarily construed by me as part of the content of my consciousness. For the solipsist, it is not merely the case that he believes that his thoughts, experiences, and emotions are, as a matter of contingent fact, the only thoughts, experiences, and emotions. Rather, the solipsist can attach no meaning to the supposition that there could be thoughts, experiences, and emotions other than his own. In short, the true solipsist understands the word "pain," for example, to mean "my pain." He cannot accordingly conceive how this word is to be applied in any sense other than this exclusively egocentric one.
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2007-02-05 20:06:29 · answer #1 · answered by screaming frenzy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are not the centre of the universe. Many people believe that they are but with all the billions of people in the world, they can't all be right!
We are all the stars in our own lives, but we are only major or minor characters or extras in the lives of others. & most people don't even know that we exist. You are not creating the world and the people in it. You are perceiving a shared reality. The reality inside your mind is unique to you but the world that you see outside, others see as well. You are not creating it & you are not creating them. The proof is that if you speak with them they have lives independent of you.
Relax. You need to stop overanalyzing & focusing on yourself so much. This creates anxiety. Try to shift your focus to the outer world. Take a walk outside. Get close to nature. Talk with other people.
I don't know you & don't know anything about you aside from your question. You can't be the centre of the universe because I don't even know you! I exist independently of you. I am the centre of my own life but I know that the world doesn't revolve around me. I am far too complex & unique a person to be a product of your imagination. Just as you are not a product of my imagination.
There is such a thing as thinking too much! You can drive yourself crazy! Relax! Go to sleep. Sleep deprivation can play tricks on your mind too. You start hallucinating and everything.
Good luck!
I always liked Sylvia Plath's poem "Soliloquy of the Solipsist". I think many of us at some point feel that we are creating the world & that it all revolves around us but that's just an illusion that comes from focusing on your own life, feelings, problems & thinking that you are the whole universe & everything around you is secondary...it's not the case. You are just a small (but nonethless valuable) part of a huge planet in a massive galaxy in a limitless universe. What are the odds that you are at the centre of it all?!
2007-02-05 20:40:43 · answer #2 · answered by amp 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From your point of view than I don't exist and I am creation of your mind, but I know that I am real.
This was a big problem for philosophers from 18th and 19th century: yes, it's doesn't have anything to do with common sense, but how to prove that???
Who is real here than, we who write or the ones that will be reading this??
2007-02-05 21:53:51 · answer #3 · answered by Jelena L. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you really were the only mind, would you have to ask twice? Then again, maybe I'm the voice of reason in your head, and that's why I answered twice...
But I'm not actually reasonable, so it's just not a possibility.
G'night.
2007-02-05 20:12:01 · answer #4 · answered by Theresa A 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋